Political Commentary & Opinion
Analysis, commentary, and opinion essays on politics and policy from The Daily Signal’s contributors and experts.
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news
What the New York Times Didn’t Tell You About the Planned Parenthood Video Analysis
The company commissioned by Planned Parenthood to analyze a series of undercover videos played a key role in 2012 to undermine Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign. Planned Parenthood hired Washington, D.C.-based Fusion GPS to examine videos released by the Center for Medical Progress over the past two months that have raised questions about the sale of fetal body parts. Fusion GPS’s… -
opinion
In 2008, Fewer Than 30 Million Used Food Stamps. Now 46 Million Do.
Good news: The number of Americans using food stamps in 2014 declined slightly from the previous year. So why does the 2015 Index of Culture and Opportunity say this indicator is headed in the “wrong direction”? There are a couple of reasons. For one, the food stamp program (officially known now as the Supplemental Nutrition… -
opinion
What We Can Learn From California’s Failed Green Jobs Plan
In the eyes of the Obama administration, California is the gold standard for state energy policy. The feds lavishly laud the Golden State’s aggressive green energy mandates and stringent energy efficiency requirements. But few states have jumped on California’s green energy bandwagon—and with good reason. Exhibit A: The green jobs initiative passed in 2012. Turns… -
opinion
The Navy Hasn’t Been This Small Since the 1930s. Can We Afford a Larger Navy?
The United States Navy has been shrinking for decades and is now at levels last seen in the 1930s. Politicians on both sides of the aisle say they want to reverse that trend. But is a larger Navy really affordable? Today’s Navy has 273 active-duty ships—14 percent fewer than were afloat on 9/11. During his 2012 presidential… -
opinion
The Fed Shouldn’t Pay Attention to Short-Term Changes in Stock Market
Back in grad school (not all that long ago), we pondered whether a central bank should target equity (or other asset) prices to conduct monetary policy. In theory, as the value of consumers’ stock portfolios rises, they will spend more, because they are wealthier. It turned out, though, that the empirical link among monetary policy,… -
opinion
This Government Jobs Program Is Ineffective, Ridden With Crime
A job training program for disadvantaged youth—sounds like a good thing. Except maybe when it is plagued by violent crime and doesn’t boost participants’ wages or help them secure full-time jobs. Each year, Congress spends in excess of $1.65 billion on Job Corps, even though Department of Labor research found years ago that Job Corps does… -
news
Petition for White House to Watch Planned Parenthood Videos Needs Over 80,000 More Signatures
A recent “We the People” petition is pushing for the Obama administration to watch the Planned Parenthood videos released by the Center for Medical Progress. It still needs over 80,000 signatures for a response from the administration. The online petition forum on the White House website, We the People, has 16,374 people as of Friday afternoon who… -
opinion
How This New Government Ruling Destroys the Franchise Business Model
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) just issued a ruling likely to destroy the franchise business model. To understand how far-reaching this could be, it should be noted that almost 9 million Americans work at over 780,000 franchised businesses. From Jiffy Lube to Terminex to Wendy’s, franchises enable many Americans to run their own small… -
news
If Hurricane Katrina Were to Strike Today, Would You Be Prepared?
Plagues, nuclear threats, an electromagnetic pulse attack. Each could knock the United States off the power grid. These potential disaster strikes can seem daunting. “The odds of you being in a terrorist attack are about 1 in 22 billion, or being in any kind of significant disaster,” terrorism expert James Carafano tells The Daily Signal…. -
news
Viral Note From Mom Thanks Boy for Showing Kindness to Disabled Son
Katie Myers and her 18-month-old son Kaden spend nearly every day at the South Florida Science Center and Aquarium in West Palm Beach. Recently, on an otherwise ordinary trip to the Science Center, the duo met a young boy who showed them an unexpected amount of kindness. Though it may not sound like much, the… -
opinion
Is the Fed Necessary?
The Federal Reserve opened its annual symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyo., Thursday. Its experts have assembled to discuss “inflation dynamics.” Concurrently, another group of economists and financial experts is meeting just down the road. They’re discussing monetary policy, as well, but they’re considering questions never raised at Fed symposia—questions like: “Do we really need the… -
news
Black Pastors Demand Smithsonian Remove Planned Parenthood Founder’s Bust
Black pastors and conservative leaders drew a small crowd in front of the National Portrait Gallery Thursday demanding the removal of Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger’s bust. Sanger’s tribute sits in the Smithsonian museum’s “Struggle for Justice” exhibit alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, a placement that minister and former Republican politician E.W. Jackson called… -
news
Ohio Conservative Builds a Farm Team of Future Leaders
VALLEY VIEW, Ohio—It's the morning after the first Republican presidential debate and Adam Josefczyk is full of energy. Following a late night in Cleveland, the 26-year-old is not wasting any time as he seeks to build a stronger conservative movement in the Buckeye State. Frustrated by the political establishment and career politicians devoid of principles,… -
news
Center for Medical Progress Calls Planned Parenthood-Commissioned Analysis of Videos ‘Complete Failure’
The Center for Medical Progress has condemned a Planned Parenthood-commissioned analysis that claims the undercover videos released by the organization did not “present a complete or accurate record of the events,” according to the New York Times. “Planned Parenthood’s desperate, 11th-hour attempt to pay their hand-picked ‘experts’ to distract from the crimes documented on video is… -
news
19 Stunning Pictures of Hurricane Katrina’s Aftermath
Winds of 127 mph ripped across Louisiana 10 years ago, leaving in its wake devastation of property, destruction of lives, and a death toll of 1,836 people. New Orleans was among the hardest hit due to its location on the Gulf Coast with levees breaching in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. FEMA called it "the… -
news
Friends, Colleagues Remember Murdered Reporter: She Was ‘Going to Rise to the Top’
Alison Parker, 24, was a “go-getter” who was “going to make it big” in broadcast journalism. But her life was cut short after she and Adam Ward, 27, were fatally shot early Wednesday morning during a live WDBJ broadcast at a shopping center in Moneta, Va., located just outside Roanoke. Both were journalists for the… -
opinion
Don’t Believe the Hype: Boeing Will Be Just Fine Without the Export-Import Bank
Airplane manufacturer Boeing is suggesting that it will lay off "several hundred" workers by the end of the year unless lawmakers resurrect the now-defunct Export-Import Bank. Let's put things in perspective. Here's the thing: Airlines in the United States and abroad are desperate for a Boeing aircraft. One American CEO acknowledged, "It's a really good time to… -
opinion
Weaponized Drones Are Now Legal in This State
Drones can now legally fight criminals in the United States with non-lethal weapons thanks to a recently amended bill in North Dakota. The law’s author, Rep. Rick Becker, originally wanted to require police to secure a warrant for drone surveillance. But then local law enforcement managed to sneak in the right to equip drones with tasers or… -
opinion
The Feminist War on Family Science
Few social science findings are as durable, consistent, and striking as the idea that children fare better when under the care of two biological parents (on a whole slew of indicators). This is as close to a law of gravity as we have in sociology. Unfortunately, there are a slew of scholars who have ignored… -
news
Is It True That Defunding Planned Parenthood Could ‘Curtail’ Medical Services? Fact-Checking Bob Casey’s Claim
Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., made some questionable claims in an op-ed defending his vote to continue granting federal funds to Planned Parenthood. “Planned Parenthood facilities also provide many other basic health services, like cervical and breast cancer screening, as well as primary care and family planning,” Casey wrote in The Scranton Times-Tribune. “It is those…